


Ballad of the Heart and Spade

by solangel777



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Exo/Human relationships, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Graphic Violence, Grief/Mourning, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, The Guardian Dies!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:15:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solangel777/pseuds/solangel777
Summary: Waking up in a strange world, Amelia tries to navigate  her new life while dealing with a multitude of issues.  She quickly learns how bad things are and befriends a certain Exo.(I'm terrible with summaries)
Relationships: Cayde-6/Female Guardian (Destiny), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. First Breath

**Author's Note:**

> I wanna thank Kotori, Wrathion, AislinAvilbane and Xentari94 (On tumblr) for encouraging me to post for the first time in years. I'm not a good writer. But this is just my canon in my head. Please be gentle. Updates may be slow.

Chapter 1  
“First Breath”

A ghost happily flew through the forest, scanning various objects. Trees, bushes and blank areas of the ground. The usual thing he had done for hundreds of years while searching for his guardian. Which he had never once given up on. Questioned his abilities? Yes. But he never gave up. He had faith in himself to find his guardian.  
He had tried the cities of this area before, but he had never tried out in the wilderness. He never went out into the wilds a bit out of fear of hostiles and a bit out of figuring no one would be dead out here. But after scanning a bare patch of snow-covered dirt, he realized he was wrong. The ghost felt it. That spark. That realization that this skeleton buried shallow in the dirt would be his guardian.  
With a twirl of his shell he moved over the spot and spread his shell. Then gathered his light then sent a bolt down into the body below him. 

Everything came back. Sound, smell, touch and sight. She sat up with a gasp of air as her blurred vision came into focus. The first thing the young woman saw was a small floating drone with eight points. It's body is painted with white, teal and silver and a small aqua diamond 'eye' staring at her.  
At first she couldn’t register what’s going on but, when her mind cleared she looked around in a panic. The little drone moved in front of her. “No, your fine! Heh, sorry if I scared you. I’m Flick. I’m a ghost, your ghost.” He said in a bright, higher masculine tone.  
“What… what's going on?” she croaked out, voice still rough.  
“I brought you back. You are a guardian. Chosen to defend humanity and The Last City! By me!” He said in a bright, proud tone.  
The young woman felt a pang of panic pass through her at the drone’s words. Defend humanity? The Last City? What was he talking about?  
Soon after those questions crossed her mind she knew she did die. The sound of footsteps crunching behind her then a sharp pain in the back of her head before she blacked out. That Jake had indeed murdered her.  
She swallowed, throat tight as she forced the memory away. “Okay.” Her tone was hollow and with a mild bit of confusion.  
As if picking up on this Flick moved closer. “Now I know this is all confusing. You don’t know what is going on or really know anything for that matter, but you at least know your name. Do you know what your name is? Some guardians come back knowing their names.” he asked.  
“Amelia?” she answered, unsure. Her head was still fuzzy from whatever the ghost did to her. She then hugged her arms and gave a shiver, now noticing the cold.  
He gave a twirl, pieces of his shell flying out away from his core then circling around then back into his body again. “Good to meet you Amelia! Now, we need to get you to The Last City… the problem is I found you pretty far off. It could take time to get back.” Flick mused.  
“Oh…” She muttered as she looked down to see snow around her. Half covering her legs and damp as it was beginning to melt. Last she remembered, it was summer.  
“But don’t worry! I can get us a ride back, eventually. No swimming across an ocean for you!” he gave a small nervous laugh. “Oh uh, right, you fleshy types don’t handle cold well. Gimme a sec, you got a heater in your under armor.” He twirled his shell and flashed a small blue beam to her chest a moment. Into the blue and orange coat she was wearing. What was she wearing? No now was not the time to worry about her clothing she woke up in. Even though she was not wearing this when she died.  
She joined in on the nervous laugh as she felt faint warmth begin to build against her skin. “Yeah that’d be something else. One heck of a swim right?” She agreed. No way she was going to tell him she would not live. Clearly this ghost assumed that she would be fine because he would be. After all, he could float in the air.  
“So, a ride, let’s find a connection to the comm network. I think there was one west of here by a few days.” He hummed.  
“A few days west?” she let her shoulders sag.  
“Well, west then north. I lost connection to the satellites west of here. But the place we need to go is north of here. Kind of not the most ideal of situations particularly with the current weather.” He shook himself and made a sighing noise.  
“Yeah.” She stood and dusted off her blue and orange long coat. She let out a sigh at the colors, drawing her attention to her clothing again.  
He must have noticed because he gave a chuckle. “Oh. Sorry Vanguard colors. I know. Orange and blue.” He rolled his optic. “I’m partial to white and teal.”  
This admission made Amelia brighten a bit and smiled. “I like teal too.”  
“Well at least I know right away what good taste you have.” He bobbed a nod. "Ready to get out of this snow?” she gave a nod to his question. "Great, let's go!"  
The two started down the hill with Flick leading the way. Occasionally they would stop and he would spread his shell and send out a pulse before continuing on. For over four hours Flick kept at it. Then with one more scan he stopped and turned. “Hey! I found something!”  
“What?”  
“Follow me!”  
She watched the little teal ghost fly off ahead. Amy took a moment to collect herself “Wait.” then followed after. When she pushed through the snow covered leafless brush she saw he found an odd looking terminal. “Flick?” she looked at the ghost scanning it.  
“It’s a Fallen terminal. Not assigned to any House so, I’m thinking a few houseless ones stopped here a while back. I’m trying to hack it to check their data for any sort of tech nearby.” He stopped and looked at her. “They like to scavenge our Golden Age tech.” He said before going back to what he was doing. “So I am hoping we will find the location of a jump ship through this.”  
She nodded. “So we can get back to The Last City.” She concluded.  
“Yep.” he chirped.  
Amy looked around the forest. She knew this place by the stone remnants of what appeared to be a sign. This was the entrance to Yosemite. The south entrance. From here she used to be able to see Half-Dome. Now, it was all overgrown forest with large, old growth trees and at least six inches of wet, slowly melting snow. How long has she been dead? She wondered.  
“Okay.” Flick said, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked at him. “Good news. I found something.” He sighed.  
“I’m sensing bad news?”  
“Oh yes. So uh, it’s… in the ruins of Sacramento.” He gave a nervous laugh.  
She felt a shiver down her spine when he said ‘ruins of Sacramento’ Clearly she had been dead a while. “Oh. So…”  
“Pretty far north. I have enough food gel packs to get us there. But if nothing is usable, we are gonna have issues.” He said in a sad tone.  
She knew what he meant by issues. But now wasn’t the time to think about it. So she gave a nod. “Alright, we better start walking then.”  
He moved just in front of her head as he started to lead the way. “Yes we should. Wow took me so long to find you and just… wow. You were in a very strange place, you know that? All the other ghosts I spoke to found their guardians in high population areas. You? Middle of an old forest. Now don’t get me wrong this is a gorgeous place. But man. You were out in the middle of nowhere!”  
“All other guardians?”  
“Okay most. There are a few that were found scattered in secluded areas but those were usually off planet. Like Mars or the asteroid belt. One even on Titan!” he chirped.  
Wow what happened while she was dead? Humans spread across the system? “That's pretty crazy.” She replied in a breathless tone. she was truly stunned by his words.  
“You bet. But, I shouldn’t complain. At least I found you in a safe area. Makes me think… Hm, found you in a secluded forest, no other bodies or remains around… Maybe you were not a warrior?” She gave a shrug. She couldn’t answer that without lying. And she had always been a terrible liar. But he was right. She was a scientist. Not a fighter.  
“Ah well. Even if you aren’t a warrior and have no instinct to fight, The Vanguard has ways to help with that. By the way, do you feel you know how to shoot a gun?”  
Amy knew the answer to that and knew she could answer without revealing too much. “No I don’t… know… how…” she answered in a slow, embarrassed voice. At least she hoped it came off that way.  
“Alright. That’s fine. We will be careful and get you on track to learn. You by no means are the first Guardian that started their new life with no ability to fight.” He said.  
“Who started that way?”  
“Hmmm, Another ghost and guardian I ran into ‘bout fifty years ago. They sheltered me for the night and took out nearby Fallen to keep me safe. Pretty dangerous being an unpaired ghost. No way to protect ourselves. Anyway, that night his ghost told me a story much to Juran’s embarrassment; that he was rezzed and had no idea how to fight. Had to actually spend a year learning before going out to be the hunter he is.”  
“Fifty years ago?”  
“Oh yes, you might run into those two someday. Last I heard they are still very active.”  
“Well that’s good.” Her question in her mind was ‘How?’ but it wasn’t something to ask out loud. The way Flick casually mentioned how long ago that conversation was.  
The two walked with Flick chatting about Guardians and Ghosts he met in his travels. The entire time Amy was lost in her own head with a million questions bouncing around. What happened? How long has it been? What were Ghosts? Who made them? Ruins of Sacramento? Fallen? She was overwhelmed but she had to bottle it up and hide what she was feeling. The way Flick spoke, Guardians were not supposed to remember. After all he did say that she didn’t know anything. The assumption was enough to tell her that much. Conceal your emotions Amelia.

Soon night was beginning to fall and Amy’s feet were getting sore. In fact she could feel blisters forming. She sat down on a dead tree stump. After a soft sigh of relief she pulled off her boots. She gave a hiss of pain as the cold air washed over the blisters. “How far have we walked?” she asked.  
“Well roughly 21 miles. I can give you the exact number but does it really matter in the end? Still got to walk.” He said.  
Amy winced as she peeled off the sock and looked at the blister on her heel. “You’re right about that. Knowing wont make this go away.”  
His shell perked up. “Oh! I can fix that!” he chuckled and moved over her foot.  
Amy watched his shell spread and light envelop his metallic core. Then he shot that same light down into her foot. She watched as the sparking light washed over it and the blister shrunk then vanished. She wiggled her toes then put her sock back on then her boot. “Handy.”  
“Oh yes. You should be good as new. Just let me know when you start hurting. I can fix it in a heartbeat. It’s what I do! Heal my guardian!” he bobbed a nod.  
Amy flashed him a faint smile. “So, now what? Walk through the night?”  
He chuckled. “Oh no. Even ghosts and guardians need rest. We just should find a nice hidden spot and I’ll keep my sensors active through the night. And once we do, I will give you your first food gel pack!”  
Amy stood and gave a nod. “Okay.” She then hummed in thought as she scanned the area. Forest and rusted ancient cars. “Well, we can sleep in one of these.” She walked over and rested a hand on the hood of the nearest one.  
“Won’t be a comfortable sleep but, its better than the cold ground I guess.” Amy could almost hear the shrug in his voice if he could shrug. “Now hold out your hands.”  
Amy did as he asked then watched as a silvery pack materialized into her hands. She held it a moment and turned it over in her hands before tearing it open and looking in on the bluish gel. “Doesn’t look appetizing.”  
“Hmm, probably not. But then again, what do I know. I’m a Ghost. I don’t eat. Down the hatch!” he chirped.  
She smiled at him and tipped her head back, squeezing the cool gloopy gel into her mouth. The moment it hit her tongue she tasted bitter, tinny and salty. She coughed and sputtered a moment. “Ugh.” She groaned as she swallowed it. “Nasty.”  
“That bad?” she nodded in reply. “Oh, sorry. Uh, there’s better food once we get to The Last City?” he offered.  
“I hope so.” She swallowed down the rest. Then looked at the pack, flipping it over in her hands. On it was three languages. Two of which she knew. Russian, Mandarin and English. The latter two she could read. “Guardian food pack. Hydrates and Nourishes.”  
“Yep. Everything a guardian needs for long trips! Are you done with that? I can hang onto it so we don’t litter.” Flick moved closer.  
“Yes. All done.” She watched him send a light beam onto the pack and it vanished.  
“Time for sleep now I guess.” She sighed, looking at the car again.  
“Yep.” He floated closer to her.  
She took one more look around at the place. Amelia knew it was a rest stop at the edge Yosemite. But with how much has changed and how overgrown everything was, she had no way of knowing which. Instead she climbed in the rusted vehicle and curled up. Flick dropped down into her lap to hide. “I’ll wake you if I pick anything up.” He whispered.  
“Alright. Thank you.” She replied. She watched his aqua diamond shaped optic dim then she stared at the rusty dashboard for a while. Her mind was trying to make sense of the day and everything Flick had said. In her mind, none of it did.  
She looked out the window at the rusted cars and collapsed, decrepit buildings and tall trees; wondering how long it had been. Clearly a while. One-hundred years maybe? Maybe longer. She didn’t know. But it was all wrong, very wrong. Maybe tomorrow she will find out more. But for now, none of this made any sense to her. For now, it was best to sleep. She settled in, resting her head back and her eyes fell shut and she drifted off to sleep.


	2. Journey North

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia learns more while she and her ghost travel north.

Chapter 2  
“Journey North”

Amy woke with her face pressed to the rusted out seat. With a soft groan, she sat up rubbing the indent on her cheek. After a yawn she looked around a moment and saw Flick up and scanning the area.  
This tiny little robot, an AI was capable of so much. Healing her blisters was an obvious one. She could only assume he could heal small injuries. Not including his ability to scan areas, and hacking computers. He even brought her back to life somehow which made her wonder if Flick doing that was a one-off or if he could do it again.  
Amy wanted to ask him a lot of things. Mostly things that might make him suspicious and tell whoever created him he screwed up. She didn’t want that. She somehow, by a miracle, had a second chance. She felt a lump form in her throat at the thought of what had happened to her then. She shook it out of her head. No, don’t think about it Amelia. Accept what is.  
“Oh! Good morning!” Flicks voice made her snap out of her thoughts.  
She forced a smile. “Morning.”  
He floated back over to her. “Sleep okay?” he asked as his diamond shamed optic looked her over.  
“Yes. I think so.” She ran her fingers through her brown hair with a heavy sigh. “As well as you can in this.” She motioned around the car.  
“Fair.” He responded with a chuckle. “So, are you hungry?”  
That question made her throat clench at the memory of the gel. “Not yet. I want to wait until we start moving if that’s okay.” Maybe she could find a stream to drink some water right after eating that stuff to wash away the nasty flavor. She just needed to find one first.  
He bobbed a nod. “Sounds good. Save it in case we have an issue finding a ship. Like, one doesn’t show up in the ruins up north.”  
“What if we don’t find something?”  
“We’ll worry about that later. Let’s just focus on this… Hard enough for a New Light like yourself. Freshly risen, can’t shoot a gun and in the middle of nowhere.”  
“You make it sound worse than it is.” She responded with a frown and she rested her chin on her arm, placed on the rusty window frame of the vehicle.  
“Not bad until you find out what we are up against. So, one thing at a time.” He assured her.  
Amelia gave a soft sigh then cleared her mind of her worries and questions and changed the subject. “So what were you doing?”  
“Scanning for threats and choosing the best path north. We are in the middle of a forest after all. We find the quickest and safest path then we won’t have to worry about anything!” He chirped in a happy tone.  
She let out a breath. Well at least with his ability to scan the area she shouldn’t have to worry about any danger he seemed to hint at. “Great. Should we get going or do you need more time?”  
“Well, aren’t you thoughtful! No, I can scan as we go.” He gave a small chuckle and exited the car. Amy followed suit and looked around while dusting off her blue and orange robe.  
Yosemite was always a beautiful place. Crisp air, the sounds of birds and other animals adding to the feeling. It was like camping back home in Colorado. Her brain came to a screeching halt. Home. Her mom and dad. There is no way they could be around. Everything had grown so much and trees take decades to grow. Not to mention the rusted out cars and the mention of Sacramento being in ruins. She felt herself getting choked up again at the thought and her heart clench. It was all gone.  
Her ghost’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “You uh… you okay there?” Flick asked.  
Amelia snapped out of it and cleared her throat. “Fine. Just you know…” she trailed off.  
“Ah, I get it. You are realizing how little you know. That’s okay. It’s incredibly common for guardians to have no memory of who they were. It’s believed to be a side effect of resurrection. Or The Light. The truth is, we don’t know what causes it. Other than that I can answer your questions. I’m your ghost after all.”  
She was happy that’s what he assumed rather than trying to piece together things. “Alright. So where do I start…” she pressed her lips in thought as they started walking, Flick taking the lead. She knew she couldn’t ask specific questions. That would tip Flick off that she remembers and something went very wrong. Who knew what would happen then. “Guardians. What do we do?”  
“Well, guardians are defenders of humanity. There are three types of Guardians. Titans, who are the toughest of them, they specialize in defense or raw physical power. They are also compassionate and master tacticians. Hunters are the scouts. They run across the system seeking out threats. As well as hunting resources and making connections with others. And finally Warlocks are the researchers and can harness raw Light. Smartest of the Guardians. Personally, I hope you’re a Warlock. Though I won’t complain if you're not.”  
She smiled. “I hope I’m a warlock too.” That seemed the most like her. Especially with what she did in her first life. “So how do I use the Light?”  
“You should be able to just use it.” He replied. She looked down at her hands, brows furrowed. “Uh. But maybe not now. May draw unwanted attention. Particularly the Taken. They are attracted to Light and the most dangerous of our enemies. Well, in my opinion they are. Some would say The Hive is.” Flick said.  
“Right. Save it for if I need to use it then.” She sighed.  
He bobbed a nod. “Yep!”  
Things fell silent for a while and Amy walked enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest. After some time of not being able to find a stream she stopped to eat her next food gel pack. She accepted it from Flick and quickly choked it down with a cough. After finishing she let Flick take the empty packet and continued on.  
After five hours the forest started to break up. “So, why come all the way out here to bring me back?” she looked to Flick by her head.  
“Well, it’s not as if I knew I’d bring you back. It's a feeling. You see I spent a very long time checking every dead body I came across down to the smallest shard of bone. Which I could work with. I’ve been all over the world too in the most populated places. I did not find one person that had that spark of ‘this is my guardian’. So I had to start looking in less and less populated areas. And well, seems my guardian was a pile of brittle bones in an old forest?” he gave a chuckle.  
She smiled. “What are the odds?” she offered.  
“Eh, dunno, I’ve heard stories. One found their guardian on Titan in a destroyed dome, half submerged in methane.” He chuckled. “Glad I didn’t have to hitch a ride out to that moon. I did try Mars though. Nothing.”  
“Wow. How long have you been looking?” She was more in shock that humanity managed to get out to Saturn.  
“At least a thousand years!” he chirped with a chuckle.  
Amy was inwardly mortified. She had been dead for at least a millennium. It explained how Yosemite changed so much. All the wooden cabins at the way station she slept at would have rotted away. “Wow. You are patient.” It was all she could say on the situation.  
“It’s a ghost's purpose to find their guardian. Some have given up but most of us, we search, and search and search. Some die trying. But me? No. I wanted to find my guardian. And I am glad I did.”  
She smiled. She could almost hear the smile in his voice. “Well I hope I don’t disappoint.”  
“You won’t. Now, anything else you want to know? Rather than walking in awkward silence?”  
She hummed in thought. Not because she was wracking her brain for something to ask, but to ask some of her many questions carefully. As nice and friendly as this ghost was, she still had no idea who he answered to. "Could you tell me about The Last City? Or food to expect and I hope it doesn’t taste like those gross gel packs.”  
“Well I haven’t been back to The City in a few years. But! I do know The Traveler is awake and from what other guardians say, the food is absolutely fantastic!” he chuckled then he relaxed and his shell stopped twitching. “But on a serious note, the city was under siege about 3 years ago. Cabal. People died but, it’s over now, things are back to normal and the Cabal are pushed back.” He said. “I’m sure you will hear and read all about it. And if you’re a Warlock, maybe even do some serious studying? Then again, there are lots of Titans and Hunters that like to read too… hmmm.”  
“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll make more sense when I read about it. Now, what would I be expected to do?”  
Amelia watched Flick move ahead and spread his shell to scan then lead the way down the left of a road split. By now it was getting to dusk again. “Depends on what you are. It's possible on the trip north we will find out? Not until we need it you know? But to summarize it; defend humanity.”  
“I see. Well, I’m sure we will find out and probably get to that when I learn to fight right?”  
Flick bobbed a nod. “Yeah, we’ll get you all set with that, no problem.”  
“Good.” Amelia let out a relieved breath.  
They walked in silence for a bit longer until they came to more rusted out cars on a ruined patch of cement. Flick stopped and scanned the area again before returning to her. “Okay, this seems like a fine place to stop. Ready to eat?”  
She groaned, not looking forward to it. But she was hungry. “I guess. Wish I had water to wash the taste out of my mouth.”  
“It’s all in the food gel. Nutrients and hydration.” He chirped in a proud tone.  
“Wonderful.” She rolled her blue eyes and held out her hands for Flick to drop the packet.  
He did.  
Amy spent a moment bracing herself for the salty, cold metallic gel once again. Then she took a breath and ripped it open, quickly swallowing it down. Once she finished the pack, she whined and gave a dance to show she hated eating it. "Gross." She said with a displeased groan then held the empty pack out for Flick. “We can’t get to The City soon enough.” She said.  
“Agreed. It’d be nice to get back to civilization. Now, pick the place to sleep and I’ll check the area.” He bobbed a small nod then floated a bit away.  
Amy looked around at the few old rusted cars lined up off to the side. After a moment of inspecting each one she picked the best one. One that still had a back seat of sorts. She crawled in and curled up, waiting for Flick to join her. After a few minutes he did, dropping down next to her head. “Find anything?” she looked at him.  
“Nope. We are safe for now. But like last night I will keep my sensors on to watch out for trouble.” He replied.  
“Good. I don’t want something sneaking up on us.”  
“Neither do I.” Flick agreed. After a few moments of silence his optic dimmed. “Sleep well Amy.” He said in a soft tone.  
She smiled. “Sleep well.”  
For a while she laid awake, staring at the back of the rusty seat in front of her, thinking of all she had lost. She was heart broken. Her baby brother, mom, dad, co-workers, and friends all gone. The one positive out of this, the man she trusted and loved, the man who murdered her was dead and dust. All she had to do to keep it together was to remind herself he didn’t exist anymore. If she concealed her pain long enough, maybe it’d go away.  
As that thought crossed Amelia’s mind, she slipped off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I hope this one isn't too slow paced for you!


	3. Sacramento

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flick and Amelia reach their destination.

Chapter 3  
“Sacramento”

Sacramento did not look the same. It broke her heart to see the city in ruins like this. One thousand years. This is what one thousand years did to a city. Rusted cars, crumbling buildings and cracked and destroyed roads. Even bridges had fallen down. And she felt like she had been in this city a few days ago. Amelia wanted to cry.  
She wanted to tell her ghost. To let it all out. But as much as she had grown to like Flick in these short few days; she still didn’t know whether to trust him or not. Let alone who he worked for or who made him. Everything he has spoken of about. From rules for guardians to none remembering, worried her. What happens to her if he realized he messed up bringing her back to life? Would she be killed again? Imprisoned? Experimented on? Would he be destroyed for screwing up? The possibilities to those questions scared and worried her. He was sweet and funny. He didn’t deserve to be punished for a mistake. So, she would hide it. Who knew, maybe she would grow to love this life. She could also be over thinking all of this and nothing could come of it. But given what was going on with her right now and the information Flick had given her. Even though it wasn’t a lot, she wanted to be cautious until she knew more.  
As she thought she looked around then noticed something that didn’t seem to fit in with the ruins. It was a different design and newer looking. “Flick?” she called and looked over to see the ghost scanning some stuff. “What is that?” she pointed to the tannish round object with a screen and a torn purple banner over it.  
He looked at what Amelia was pointing at and froze. “Oh. Uh… that’s Fallen property. Which means they are present here.”  
“The aliens you told me about?”  
“Yep. Uh… crap hold out your hands.” He said in a worried tone.  
Amy nodded and did as he asked, holding out her hands together, palms up. He moved over them and projected his light beam into her hands, materializing a hand cannon. Amy’s eyes went wide as the weight landed in her hands. “I don’t know about this.”  
“I know you don’t know and we agreed you don’t but I uh, think you should try at least. Fallen are pretty vicious.” He said, tone serious and the top front point of his shell dropping over his optic a bit like he was dropping his brow. “Even if you don’t know how to shoot, at least try. Just point and pull the trigger.”  
Amy turned the gun over in her hands then held it proper. She realized she had never held a gun before and never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be holding one. Even if her grandfather owned guns she never came in contact with them. Then again, here she was, alive again in the ruins of Sacramento at least a thousand years after she was murdered. That in itself was against the laws of nature. Things changed. For her and the world. She might as well give it a try.  
“Okay. If they attack I guess I shoot?”  
“That’s about the size of it.” Flick bobbed a nod. “Or try out your Light. We’ll see what happens. Just know the Fallen will try to kill you.” He warned.  
She gave a nod. “Yeah uh… how do I load it.”  
“Oh boy yeah you don’t know how to fight.” He shook himself side to side. “Okay, on the bottom of the butt of the gun is a button. You press it to release the magazine. I’ll give you a new one. Push it in with the notch facing away then pull the chamber back. That will load the first round.” He instructed.  
To test she looked at the bottom of the gun and saw a small square button and pressed it, releasing the magazine. Then she looked for the notch he spoke of. When she found it she pushed it back in then pulled the chamber to load in the first bullet. “Okay. Well, that is easy.”  
“Supposed to be. Weapons made for guardians. Seeing as guardians can't exactly die well, you know. Make it easy enough to load in a second.” He said.  
“Right.” She forced a smile and nodded. All the while in the back of her head wondering how dangerous a weapon like this would be around a kid. “Where is this airport?”  
“Straight ahead. The massive building in the distance. Lets be careful. Because if I die, You won’t come back again.” Flick warned.  
Amelia frowned and gave a nod before they made their way forward. Amelia held the gun in one hand and Flick tucked close to her body as they walked. It was tense and quiet as they passed the ruined structures and banners. Flick was quick to point out as belonging to these Fallen. He told her to be cautious because the symbol belonged to the House of Devils. A dangerous Fallen house.  
She was very worried about this information. And as they drew closer to the rusty warehouse style building, she became more aware and stiff.  
Things were quiet. Way too quiet for Amelia’s liking. To the point she raised the gun and looked around with Flick tucking very close to her side.  
“I’m not picking anything up yet.” He whispered.  
“Okay. It’s too quiet.” She whispered back. “Makes me nervous. Not to mention, I feel like I’m being watched.”  
“Oh yeah. I agree. But let’s get to the building, look for a ship, get back and get you on learning to use that gun.” He said, looking up at her.  
“Yeah.” She agreed in a soft tone.  
They walked in a tense silence for the rest of the way. Flick seemed to hold to his name, flicking and twitching in a nervous manner at her side. Whether this is why he was named Flick she didn't know. But he did this the whole way to the rusty massive sliding doors. The moment they got to the doors, Amelia relaxed and let out a breath as Flick gave a soft sigh of relief. He pulled away from her hip and scanned the door, bathing in a blue light for a moment. “Hmm. It’s rusted shut. Let’s find a smaller door. I fear if we try to open this now it may draw unwanted attention.”  
“Right. I don’t know if I could move this massive thing myself anyway.” She replied, looking the door over.  
He chuckled. “Oh you’d be surprised what you can do with The Light.” He then turned and went around the side of the building. Amelia, curious, followed after the ghost. She watched him stop at a door and scan it. “Not locked. Rusted shut.” He mused. “Try shoulder pushing it open.”  
“It’s a metal door I can break my shoulder.” She said.  
“And I can heal it.” Flick responded. “So go ahead and give it a shoulder.”  
Amy slowly looked over to the ghost with a flat expression. “Really?”  
“Couldn’t help it I love puns.” He chuckled.  
“I don’t think that was a pun. No, that was a strangely bad joke.” She shook her head with a faint smile. “Okay. Let’s try this.”  
After letting out a quick breath, she stepped back then braced her arm then charged shoulder first into the door. The metal door gave a loud thunk and a shake. She did it again, her shoulder slamming into the metal. This time it creaked and bent a bit. But her shoulder popped on the second hit and began to hurt. Amy gave a hiss and rubbed her arm.  
She didn't have to say anything. Flick was right next to her. “Okay hold still and I’ll fix your arm up.” he said.  
She turned to him. As she did she heard an inhuman wail from the buildings to the south. “What was that?”  
“Fallen war cry. He’s warning the rest of his house here. I’m rusty on my Elikisni but I think that was a Dreg?” he said.  
Flick’s words were followed by another few cries. “Hm, Vandal and Dreg maybe?”  
She sucked in a breath as a chill went down her spine. The second call was closer. “I think we should get this door open and stop wondering what it said?”  
“Right. Go ahead and shoot the lock so we get inside. Since they know we are here after all.” He said.  
She gave a nod then turned back, raising the gun to the door lock. She pulled the trigger and gave a yelp at the recoil and sound as the bullet struck through the rusted metal latch. “Ah, yep you definitely don’t have any innate knowledge of weapons.” Flick commented before rushing in through the hole in the door.  
“Kick the door.” He called from inside. “Hurry. Really don’t want your first new life rez to be to a Dreg. That’d be a drag.”  
“Terrible joke!” she said in a hurried voice as she kicked the door with the bottom of her foot making the door swing open.  
Amelia rushed in and turned to slam the door shut. She gasped when she saw a creature with four glowing blue eyes and pointed teeth running at her. Instinctively she yelped and threw out her arm. As she did light gathered down her forearm and into her palm. Then an orb of bright orange fire flung out into the doorway burning the creature to cinders as it passed into it.  
“You’re a solar warlock! Nice!” Flick chirped.  
“Uh…” she looked down at her hand then back to the fading orb of fire in the door. “Yeah cool.” She breathed in shock. After a moment she looked over to Flick. “How do we get out of here?”  
“One second, scanning.” He replied then spread his shell.  
Amy watched back to the door, tentatively raising her gun up to protect them. She had no idea what had just happened but she needed to accept it for now. They were chased by a four eyed alien thing in the ruins of a city she used to know. Her head was spinning from all of this change and she couldn’t make sense of any of it. All she could do right now was trust her ghost to get them out of here and to The Last City. There she could learn more.  
“Got it!” Flick chirped.  
She looked at him. “What did you find?”  
“Old jump ship in the back.” He said.  
She gave a nod and pushed the door shut then tipped the shelving behind it over the door. “Let’s go before more of those things arrive.” She said in a hurried tone.  
“On it.” He flew off to the back, Amy following after him. She came to a stop in front of a rusted craft and watched him go to it and scan it. “It will fly. The Fallen seemed to have left the hull and engine intact. Weapons, interior and warp drive are gone. Not to mention I don’t think it can break the atmosphere so we fly the slow way.”  
She let out a tense breath and ran her fingers through her hair. “That's fine as long as it can get us out.”  
“It can. I need you to open the hangar doors while I start it up.” He said, vanishing in a wisp of light.  
Amy didn’t get a chance to respond before he vanished. She just pressed her lips together, worried. She holstered the gun as she made her way across the hangar to the large double hangar doors. She then grabbed the rusted handle and with a bit of effort, pulled them open.  
It was noisy and drew a lot of attention, more of those screeches sounding out. Those sounds made her panic more and her heart to hammer in her chest. Right now she did not want to face another one of those Fallen.  
She finished opening the doors as quickly as possible. Enough for the ship to pull through and turned back to see it hovering in the empty space behind her. The ramp on the underside of the ship opened and she went onto the ramp and it shut with her on it. “Sorry the transmat pad was ripped out.” Flick called from the front. “Sit down and let's get going.”  
“Right.” Amy went into the cockpit and sat in the spot the seat frame was and held on. “Get us out of here please?”  
“You bet. ETA to The Last City? 5 hours. Lets hope this thing holds together.” He said as he sent a beam of light into the flickering and buzzing console. After a groan and a shudder, the ship took off into the sky, the right wing barely clipping the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will pick up in pace soon!


	4. The Last City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy and Flick arrives at The Last City

Chapter 4  
“The Last City”

Five hours of flight in this rusty seat with two metal bars digging into her back and butt. Flick had assured her that she can’t get tetanus from the metal and to not worry. She wasn’t worried about that right now. She didn’t even get cut. Right now it was the clicking sound coming from the left engine. Every time the clicking picked up in pace her heart and throat clenched. Especially over the ocean.  
“Almost there, just over these mountains and we will be minutes away.” Flick said. “How are you feeling?”  
She shifted uncomfortably on her rusty perch. “Nervous? You said I need to meet this Ikora Rey who is the mentor to Warlocks… I don't know what to do.”  
“Relax. She’s probably the nicest Vanguard you will ever meet. She’ll give you tea and listen to you and hold no judgment.” He said, looking over to her. “A qual-a-tea Vanguard.”  
“Is this going to be a thing you do?”  
“I love puns. I can’t help it.” He said with mirth.  
Amy couldn’t help but smile at him. “Cute.” Her grandpa was the same way. He always had the worst dad jokes, puns and other forms of word play. Flicks jokes brought her some comfort as a result.  
She looked back out the dirty cockpit window and watched as they crested over the mountains. Another minute of flight and she saw it; a large city surrounded by a wall with The Traveler floating over it. The Traveler appeared to have pieces of itself orbiting it and it was glowing from exposed cracks. She had never seen the entity personally. It was a stop she was supposed to make at the end of her vacation to Los Angeles where it was. But she had been…  
She shook her head. Don’t focus on that. Focus on the now. She told herself. Not what happened in the past. A new chance to live her life.  
She snapped out of her thoughts when a voice came through from Flick. A female voice. “Unknown ship identify yourself.”  
“Uh, this is Flick, I found my guardian. We are on our way in. Please help this ship’s left engine is clicking badly.” He said.  
Now his tone was professionalism. Calm and authoritative. No jokes. She swallowed dryly and spoke up. “Hello. I uh… I’m the new guardian.” She said in a stiff tone.  
“Oh good. It’s been a while since a New Light appeared. I’ve cleared you. Enter hangar bay four.” She said. Then the line went dead.  
“Well, this will be fun! I wonder how long it’s been since a New Light like yourself showed up.” Flick mused.  
“We can ask.” She gave him a smile as they closed in on the wall.  
Silence fell in the small space as they pulled into the prescribed hangar. She could see out the window several people in jumpsuits were standing by as they came to a stop inside. She got up, happy to get out of the uncomfortable seat and squeezed out into the back as Flick opened the ramp. Which he caught up to her as she stepped out into the massive hangar dotted with ships and people.  
“Well, let’s go to your Vanguard eh?” Flick looked at her.  
Amy gave him a smile and a nod. “Yes, lets.” She did her best to sound as even toned as possible despite her nerves.  
“Take a breath. You’re stiff.” He said leading her out of the hangar.  
Amy gave a nod as she looked around and walked. On the way across the open area she saw a few things that made her double take. A blue human with white hair and a blue and orange robot. Both talking and laughing. Again the question crossed her mind. How such an advancement in technology and for humans to get blue skin and glowing eyes?  
Amelia followed her ghost down a set of stairs and through a long hall. This time past another robot but not with a detailed face like the last one, sweeping. The best she figured is there were variations in types of robots. She would definitely need to read more on this if she could.  
They rounded a corner and down a small set of stairs to a dark skinned woman in maroon under a semi-circle wooden trellis. “Ikora Rey?” Flick called, floating toward the woman.  
The woman with a shaved head turned. “Yes?”  
“I’m Flick. I found my guardian.” He announced in a proud tone.  
Amelia gave a small smile. “Hi, I’m Amelia.”  
“She’s a Solar Warlock. That’s all we know.” He added.  
“It’s nice to meet you Amelia.” Her voice was smooth and comforting. It made the new warlock relax. “How did you discover your element?”  
“These Dregs in a city ruin across the ocean. We were looking for a way here and we got spotted. She threw out a solar grenade.” Flick Explained.  
“I hope you taught those Fallen a lesson.” She said with a smile.  
“Yeah… about that…” Flick began nervously.  
Amy looked around then back to Ikora. “I don’t know how to shoot.” She whispered. “I only killed the one. With that grenade.”  
“Oh. Well, these things happen. It’s actually more common than you think. The last two Titans that showed up had limited or no knowledge of guns. But don’t worry. I can help you with that.” She said.  
Amelia let out a relieved breath. “Good. I was worried.”  
“Nothing to be worried about. Let’s go meet Zavala. He is the commander.” Ikora held out a hand to motion Amy to walk with her which she did. The two of them followed the path back up with Ikora in front of her, arms behind her back. “As a New Light things must be quite confusing. Not knowing who you are or what anything is. But don’t worry. That is what I am here for. To help you get your bearings and send you out on your first missions after I help you learn to shoot.”  
“A lot of things are confusing.” Amy mused as they passed the sweeping robot, her eyes following it.  
“Oh that is a frame. Don’t mind him, he is in charge of cleaning The Tower.” Ikora informed her.  
“Okay.” Her answer was awkward, making her inwardly cringe.  
The two went back on the stairs. Flick by Amelia’s head and across the open area then toward the edge of the wall facing The City. There stood a blue skinned man leaning on the railing staring out at the city. He was well armored in chrome and red.  
“Zavala.” Ikora called.  
The man looked back and turned when he saw them. “This is Amelia. She is a fresh New Light Warlock.”  
Amy gave a small wave. “Hello.” She said quietly.  
His brows rose. “The first since…”  
“Yes. I believe five months.” Ikora finished.  
He looked Amelia over. Noticing her nervousness Flick spoke up. “She’s a Solar Warlock. We don’t know what type beyond that. But she is pretty strong to be able to throw out a Solar grenade without prompting only a few days after I rezzed her.”  
“Interesting. I look forward to seeing what else you can do. Ikora, when do you plan on helping her with her shooting?” Zavala asked.  
“I was thinking of starting tomorrow. If that is alright with you Amelia.” She looked to the shorter warlock.  
“Yes that’s absolutely fine. I look forward to it. Uh… one question though.”  
“Yes?” the commander asked.  
“Where do I go until then?” she gave a weak smile.  
“I will have my ghost send yours directions to your new place.” Ikora said.  
Amy gave a nod at this. It seemed everyone had ghosts. “Is there somewhere I can go to do some reading?” she asked.  
“Oh of course, your place will have a terminal just ask Flick for your access code.” The older Warlock replied as she called out a black and red ghost. “Now I will see you bright and early at the shooting range. Flick will guide you there.”  
“Alright.”  
“Depend on your ghost. He chose you to be his guardian. Trust him, ask him questions. He has been around since The Traveler made him 1,000 years ago.” Ikora said.  
Amy gave a nod, numb that she had someone else confirm it had been over 1,000 years since she died. Right now was not the time to fully absorb it. It wasn’t like she could do anything about it right now.  
Zavala spoke up again. “While you learn to use weapons we may have tasks around The City for you so you can earn some Glimmer. Come see me in a few days. I may have something for you.”  
“Alright.” She replied.  
“Lets go to your place.” Flick replied.  
Amy gave Zavala and Ikora another wave and followed her ghost. The path they took lead back down to where she met Ikora then past an archway beyond the Ramen shop and to an elevator. Flick opened the elevator and she stepped in with her ghost by her head. He called the elevator to the 3rd floor down.  
When the elevator began to move she rocked on her heels a bit. “I have a silly question.”  
“Unless you ask me if Mars is dry and cold, it’s not a stupid question.” He joked.  
“So uh, how long ago did The Traveler show up?” she asked carefully.  
“Oh uh… calendar systems have changed since the end of The Collapse but… The Golden Age lasted roughly 300 years. So about 1,300 years? It’s unknown what the exact date was. But I will tell you it's 998 AC. After Collapse.” He said. “Asking to understand what Ikora said?”  
She nodded. “So you're pretty old.”  
“Been around since the end of The Collapse. Those first couple hundred years were rough for us ghosts.” He said.  
The elevator came to a stop and she stepped out. “How so?” she asked, following after him.  
“Well, it was called The Dark Ages for a reason. Humanity had to rebuild from nothing. With some tech of course and a few frames and Exos to help but you know. Still a rough rebuild. I depended on hiding and friendly light bearers to stay alive.”  
“Wow. And… exos?”  
“You know that blue and orange robot talking to the lady when we first showed up?” she nodded to his question. “Exo. Human mind in a mechanical body. No one understands how their bodies work or were made. Golden Age stuff. Only their ghosts understand a bit.”  
“I see. So… like the other lady, just another person.” She surmised.  
“Yes, just don’t call them frames. It’s a slur. Frames are simplified AI.” He said.  
Amy held up her hands as he opened the door. “Oh no, I wouldn't do that. Sounds rude.”  
When she stepped inside she looked around the tiny studio apartment. There was a bed against the far wall on the left. A desk on the right and a small fridge nearby with a little table and chair shoved between the bed and bathroom door on her left. She went to the bed and sat down with a sigh.  
“Once you start earning Glimmer we can save up for a bigger place. This is basic for New Light guardians or… hunters that rarely come to The City.” Flick said, dropping down on the table.  
“That’s fair. It’s not like I am renting or anything.” She got back up and started stripping down to the tank top and underwear under her armor. Then she peaked in the fridge to find a bunch of those ration packs. “Am I ever escaping these things?” she grabbed one.  
“I’ll order you a real breakfast in the morning.”  
“We don’t have anything to buy it with.” She pointed out, ripping open the pack.  
“There's a thing for New Lights where you can build a tab then pay it back. Don’t worry about it.”  
Amelia swallowed down the gel and cringed at the bitter flavor. Then she went right to the sink in the bathroom and drank some of the water to wash the flavor out of her mouth. “Yuck.”  
Flick chuckled. “Oh you will hate long missions.”  
She smiled. “Maybe. If I can't find a way around those gross things.” She dropped down on the bed and gave a happy sigh. “Way better than a rusted out car or ditch.”  
“Gonna sleep?”  
“Oh yes. After all of that, I’m tired.” Amy closed her eyes. “Good night. Wake me up an hour before we need to go.”  
“Will do. Good night.”  
A moment of silence passed and Amelia drifted off into a deep, restful sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading my fic. I appreciate it <3


	5. Target Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia begins her first day in The Tower.

Chapter 5  
“Target Practice”

Amy woke to her ghost near her ear calling her name. It took her a few moments to register this in her brain before she gave a small stretch and groan. Then she rolled onto her back and yawned before sitting up. “What time is it?” she slurred.  
“7 am. You have an hour and 10 minutes before you are due to meet Ikora. I went a little earlier because I figured you’d want to make a good impression on your Vanguard. Also, food is at the front door. I didn’t want the guy bringing it in while you slept.” Flick said with a proud bob of his little body.  
This made Amelia smile. Finally, hopefully some food that isn’t that nasty ration pack. “What did you get me?” she asked as she hopped out of bed and walked to the door.  
“Eggs, toast, ham and coffee.” He said.  
Excited, She quickly opened the door and grabbed the box set at her doorstep. Then shut it and went to the table, sitting down and opening it. The smell was amazing. The subtle spices used on the ham, the eggs. But most importantly she took the thermos and opened it to smell the coffee. She took a big wiff and let out a sigh before taking a sip. At least familiar foods and coffee still existed after all this time.  
“I take it you like what I ordered?”  
“Yes thank you.” She replied.  
“Oh good, at least I won't have egg on my face!” Flick joked, earning him a dirty look before she dug in.  
Flick chuckled to himself a moment, clearly proud of his pun. Then he waited quietly while she ate every last crumb of her food and finished off her hot coffee. When Amelia finished, she stood and went into the bathroom to shower. After 10 minutes she appeared with wet hair and back in her under clothes and got back into the armor. “I’m not doomed to wear this ugly thing forever am I?”  
“No, you’ll get better stuff. And man guardians love their style on their armor. Wait until you see. You only saw two last night but in the morning, The Tower is alive with activity.” He said. “At least it always was the last time I was here, in the old tower.”  
“Old tower?”  
“Hard to miss. Just look up when we get back to The Annex. Where you met Zavala.”  
Amelia gave a nod. The old tower must be obvious since he didn’t bother to describe it. After setting aside her thermos, utensils and box, she pulled on her boots and brushed out her hair. “Okay I’m ready. Let’s go.”  
“Great! Let’s go give this a shot.” He said in a mirthful tone, floating to the door.  
“Terrible.” She tried to hide her growing amusement as she said that. But couldn’t help but finally crack a faint smile as she followed after him.  
She followed him back out on the familiar path up to The Annex. Oddly, no guardians like Flick promised. Maybe they were all busy. She waved off the thought.  
Amelia looked up to see a huge tower some distance off. It was damaged with gaps and holes and dotted with the sight of welding happening. “What happened?”  
“A couple years ago the Cabal sieged The City. They trapped The Traveler before it woke up, cutting us all off from our light. The first thing they did was attack The Tower. The hub for guardians. We were saved by one guardian who managed to get her light back.”  
“Where is she?”  
“Dead. She died 4 months ago. I’ll let you read it tonight. It’s still fresh for a lot of guardians. So…” he trailed off, diamond optic looking into her blue eyes.  
“Don’t ask.” She muttered, finishing his sentence.  
“Yeah. She was a hero.” Flick said in a solemn tone.  
“How did you find out if you were gone so long?”  
“I couldn’t rest last night so I went and talked to other ghosts and did some catch up research.” He said, leading her down below the main hangar and to a large room with targets.  
“Oh, well… thanks for telling me.” She looked over to a table at her right to see Ikora laying out a few guns. “Morning.” She greeted.  
The other woman looked up and smiled. “Good morning, sleep well?”  
“Oh yes, much better than rusted out vehicles and ditches.” Amelia said with a grin.  
“And she had a hot breakfast and a shower. No doubt she was beginning to stink but I wouldn’t know. I don’t have a nose.” Flick quipped.  
“I was. I could smell it. I hated it.” Amy added.  
Ikora gave a chuckle. “Seems you and your ghost are getting along well.”  
“Yes, though he tells some bad puns.” Amy said.  
“He does?” Ikora seemed surprised by this.  
“Very bad. But it’s fine. It's so bad, it's a funny kind of bad.”  
“Well, I will no doubt hear one sometime.” Ikora said.  
"Oh I am sure you will." Amy gave her ghost a smile.  
This made her Vanguard chuckle then turn her body to the table slightly. “Now, I have selected some easier weapons for you to start with. We will start with side arms and work our way to larger and more complex.”  
Amy nodded. “Start easy.” Ikora seemed to get straight to the point without much fanfare. “Alright.”  
“Weapons guardians handle and own do not have safety switches due to our immortality. But be careful and keep them stowed around civilians as they are mortal and do not come back if shot and killed.” Ikora lifted a simple sidearm up. “Loading is also simplified. One button release and slide the magazine in. Flick will hold your magazines and bring them out within his pouch. All you have to do is reach in and grab it.”  
“We don’t have a pouch for me yet.” Flick announced.  
“We will go to the armory after and get you some robes and a pouch. What you are wearing is not the best for your protection. You can come back to life but it’s best to at least make sure you don’t put your ghost at risk. Without him, there is no coming back. So do not call him out when you are not in cover.”  
Ikora’s tone conveyed seriousness and a bit of sadness. Which only made Amelia want to ask if she was ok. But now was the time for learning to shoot, not asking why she was stressing that point. So instead she nodded and went over to her mentor when the gun was held out to her. It was lighter than that hand cannon but still had some weight that felt foreign to her.  
“Now load the gun, pull back the chamber, and I want you to shoot that target there.” She pointed to the image of an alien in the distance. “That way I can assess what we need to work on.”  
Amy gave a nod and picked up the clip and loaded it in, clicking it into place. Then she pulled back the chamber and released it. Then she aimed it down at the target, trying her best to line up her shot before she pulled the trigger.  
She missed, the bullet skimming past the target and hit the wall behind it. “Sorry.”  
“That is fine. When you aim you need to be sure to have the sights above where you wish to hit a little bit. And don’t look so scared. We can not die permanently from this. Clear your mind, don’t overthink and remember that one detail. And don’t lock your elbows, the kickback will be worse.” Ikora said.  
“Right.” Amelia let out a breath and cleared her head. Then she raised the gun again and lined up her shot. Then she fired. This time she hit the target in the shoulder.  
“See? With some practice you will have it mastered.” Her mentor soothed. “I want you to empty that clip and then we will move on to a hand cannon.”  
“So quickly?”  
“Oh yes. Lord Shaxx has already heard about you, he saw you and I talking to Zavala. I think he is salivating at getting the first new warlock in five months into The Crucible.” Ikora said with a smile.  
Amy took this time to empty the remaining ten rounds into the target. Five hitting, one in the chest and the rest hitting the wall near the target before she decided to ask. “What’s The Crucible.”  
“It’s a place guardians go for live fire practice. You go in, and depending on what mode you choose to do, kill or complete an objective and aim for winning.” She said.  
“Live fire practice. So kill each other.”  
“Yes, though not for good. Killing ghosts is strictly off limits.” Ikora took the pistol and handed her a hand cannon and a magazine.  
“That sounds… interesting.” Amelia’s voice was strained. She didn’t want to say what she really thought about that. She could assume by ‘live fire practice’ it was meant to help guardians shoot at moving targets.  
“You are not the first New Light to say that upon learning about The Crucible. A few do not like it but I do encourage you to try it.”  
She nodded and loaded the Hand Cannon. Quite simple to figure out. Flick the chamber open then put the bullets in the slot and throw the bit that held the bullets aside. She could tell this one would have the same amount of kick as the one she used in Sacramento. At least she knew what to expect with it.  
And again she fired at the target, emptying it. And again she did fair, hitting the target in non vital areas a few times and the rest missing. This process continued again with a scout rifle, auto rifle, bow and a pulse rifle. Then rotating back to side arms and going through them again. After a few hours they finished.  
“I would say you are pretty good for not understanding weaponry.” Ikora said. “I believe you will be ready in a month or so for a real mission. Sooner if your progress is good.”  
“That’s nice.” Amelia smiled a bit.  
“Now, we know you are a Solar Warlock. Have you tried anything else with your Light?”  
“No, I kind of ate one of those nasty ration packs and went to bed. I slept in a rusted out vehicle then a ditch for a couple of days. I was tired.” Amy answered honestly.  
Ikora gave a smile and chuckle. “I don’t blame you. Where were you found?”  
Amy looked to Flick. He perked up. “Forested area a couple days south of where Sacramento once stood. It had some structures and an old sign. Yosemite? I tried to search archives when I got back. Some area people camped in the Golden Age.”  
“Interesting. Were there any other dead around there?” Ikora asked.  
“Oh no. Just her. Nearest dead was at a small stop 7 hours north of where I found her.” He said.  
“Interesting.” She hummed.  
“So, to find out what you can do I need you to hold out your hand and collect your light as long as you can. As if you are going to throw a grenade.”  
“Okay, why?”  
“Well, the three paths you could possibly have. If it turns pure white you are Attunement of Grace, they make wonderful healers. If you absorb it again you are an Attunement of the Sky. And if nothing happens you are Attunement of Flame.” She informed.  
“Alright.” Amy held out her hand and watched as orange light leached out of her skin and into her palm. There she held it and continued to pour light into it. There she watched it turn to pure white light.  
“Attunement of Grace. That is absolutely wonderful.” Her mentor said with a smile.  
“That’s cool. I uh. What do I do with it.”  
“Just throw it.” Amy nodded and did just that, throwing it at the target. There the orb of light floated, glowing bright. “Your allies, fellow guardians can run through it to heal and gain a protective shield of light.” Ikora explained.  
“Oh very useful. Wish I knew that when we found that scrap heap of a ship.”  
“Oh yes, that thing. That thing is not salvageable beyond tearing it down for parts. Your new ship will be ready in a month I believe. Ask Amanda Holliday for more information. She is the young blonde woman upstairs.”  
“I will do that later on. I want to focus on this for now. The more I keep my mind on track the better I will do.” Amy said.  
“That sounds fine. We will focus on you learning to use weapons. Then from there we will see to you learning deeper warlock techniques. Like using your light to avoid sleeping when you need it. Hand to hand combat then your ship and finding you a suitable partner to go on your first mission with. Zavala and I would not send you out alone.”  
“So it’s you two that run things?”  
“No, Cayde-6 is the Hunter Vanguard. He is preoccupied at this time. You will meet him soon enough.” Ikora said.  
Amy could sense a bit of a sad tone. But chose to not press it. “Alright. Am I free to go or do you want me to practice more?”  
“For now you are free to go. I will meet you here in a couple days to work on shooting more. The rest of today and tomorrow I want you to focus on learning what happened. As well as who the enemies of Sol are and getting to know The City. Wander it, enjoy the sights.”  
“I’ll do that. Thank you.”  
“Have a good day Amelia.”  
Amelia gave a smile and a wave. “You too.” She then turned and walked out and through the hangar again to go home and read.


	6. Exploration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A laid back day as Amelia and Flick talk and explore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to post. I kind of got caught up in the new season. Heh :)

Chapter 6  
“Exploration”

Amelia had spent the previous night up into the early hours of the morning reading as much of the history she missed as she could. She managed to read about most of the science she missed and about the Golden Age then into the Dark Ages.  
She always got carried away with her studies. But at least now she knew what the different aliens were that were invading Sol. As well as what worlds were once inhabited during the Golden Age, what caused The Collapse.  
She learned about Exos, Awoken, frames, different types of jump ships and the properties of glimmer. And before she knew it, it was 3 am. A bit of panic washed over her when she saw the time and Amelia quickly went to bed to try and get a few hours of sleep.  
When she woke up it was 9 in the morning to her ghost bumping into her back. She felt groggy. But Flick wouldn’t let her sleep any longer. She turned her head to look at him after the fourth time he bumped into her. “Good morning. Enjoy your late night read?” he asked with a hint of playful smugness in his voice.  
“Yeah, maybe to three AM was a bit of a mistake.” She croaked.  
“I’d say. But you need to explore like Ikora asked. Get yourself familiar with The Tower today.”  
Amelia sat up and scratched her head with a stretch. “But Ikora said to explore The City.”  
“Yes well, I think you should know where you are going to work and operate first. Then we can think about the rest. The City is massive and will take a lot of time to explore. You can go down there later on and I’ll be your guide for that.” He said.  
She sighed. Amelia really wanted to go down into the city but he was right. All of that would take a long time to see. “Alright.”  
“Now, what do you want for breakfast? Eggs again? Maybe Pancakes? Congee?”  
“Uh… pancakes I guess?” she shrugged.  
“I’ll get you that and some coffee. Go clean up!” He chirped happily.  
Amy stood and stretched a moment before walking into the bathroom. She only spent about ten minutes in the shower. She was always pretty quick with that. All she needed to do was clean her hair and her body. Her problem was, she liked to stand under the stream of hot water for a few minutes. She found it soothing. And right now, thrusted over 1,000 years into the future? She needed that bit soothing time to relax her mind and try to process all of this. And it was a lot to process. It would take some time for her. Even now she was still reeling from the changes. In time she knew she would get used to all of it though.  
After her ten minutes were up she turned off the water, dried off. Then she went out to change into her new robes she and Flick picked up on the way home last night. Simple orange robe with blue accents that went past the knee. And a pair of black pants and simple lightweight boots.  
“What do you think?” Flick asked.  
“Much better than the brown coat and heavy leather pants and boots. Though still not my preferred colors.” She said.  
“I bet, then again I wouldn’t truly know. All I wear is a shell.” He gave a little chuckle. “And don’t worry over time you’ll earn glimmer and can get nicer stuff in the color you want. For now, Vanguard colors.”  
Amy gave a tiny laugh and picked up the armored pouch and clipped it around her waist. “So you hide in this?” A change of subject from finances. Her brain was fried from the late night. Now was not the time to focus on income. She didn’t want to anyway.  
“Yep, best way to keep me safe so I can rezz and heal you. If I die you lose your light and can’t come back.” He said.  
Amelia didn't want the subject to go to something so serious but it was better than finances. “Right.” She needed to remember he was her connection to life. Ikora, Zavala and Flick had said that. A few times now. And each time Zavala and Ikora looked stressed when saying that. And she found out why last night when she was reading.  
A Warlock named Savilka, called Chosen of The Traveler died a little over four months ago. After her own ghost was destroyed. A huge funeral was held for her and she was laid to rest in the center of The City. Other than the news reports she read she had no other idea about this woman. But no doubt she would find out soon enough. But she definitely wouldn’t ask around as by all the major news articles, she was much loved. At this point the best being to ask was her own ghost. And now seemed the best time for it since they were alone.  
“Flick?”  
“Yep?”  
“What do you know about Savilka.” She sat down at the table, might as well talk while she waited for her breakfast to be delivered.  
“Well, she was a hero.” He began as a knock came to the door.  
Amy got up and went to answer. Quickly accepting the box of delicious food then taking it back to the table and setting out her meal. Flick continued. “She killed Oryx; you read about him right?”  
“Yes, Hive god. Really bad guy. Read about everything that recently happened.” She answered, cutting into her pancakes.  
He bobbed a nod. "She killed Ghaul, Crota, Xul, and also stopped SIVA. Her source of light over the past two years was her own mostly. Not directly from The Traveler but instead from a piece of the Traveler’s old Shell. She regained hers when every guardian lost their light during Ghual’s siege on The City. So they called her Chosen of The Traveler. She was also incredibly versatile in The Light. She had lots of friends. Most famously, best friend to the Hunter Vanguard; Cayde-6.”  
“Oh. So you're saying don’t bring her up to people.” she surmised.  
“Yeah best to not do that. Her death is still very fresh given she died a month before you showed up. Guardians are struggling without that one powerful guardian. Not to mention she was a friend to many. If you ask it may seem a bit tactless to ask without caring how others feel even though it’s genuine curiosity. Particularly those she was closest to.” He replied.  
“Who was she closest to?”  
“Uhhh… Other than Cayde-6? I will get back to you on that. I do know she was friends with a bunch of people in high places… Give me time to compile that information. After all coming back with you was the first time I've been in The City in a very long time.”  
Amelia gave a nod and fell silent, lost in thought as she ate. She understood a pain that raw. Loss like that was tough. She had lost everything herself and most of it was a sensitive subject for her. Which is one of the big reasons why she kept remembering to herself. She didn't want pity. She wanted to heal.  
When she finished she stood and collected the dishes and took them out into the hall to dispose of in the chute.  
From there she and Flick took the elevator back up to the Bazaar and began to explore. She took note of everything Flick told her as they passed through the bazaar.  
A group of people under a red and white flag talking to one single man in nicer clothes. Through the archway she saw Ikora standing where she first met her talking to a group of three warlocks while she went through a book. She couldn’t hear what was going on but she assumed it was important given how serious all four warlocks looked.  
“Hey.” Flick called.  
Pulled from her thoughts, Amelia looked to him. “Yeah?”  
“Wanna try this ramen stand for lunch?”  
“Yes I might do that.” She smiled.  
“Can’t eat food but it looks delicious.” He commented.  
She chuckled. “Poor you.”  
“Yes, poor me.” He gave a small chuckle. It's really eating me up inside."  
She laughed as they continued on back up to the Annex where they wandered. Exploring all the catwalks and pathways. It was interesting to see all the little places around The Tower she could use to read or sit in peace if she ever needed it. All quiet with very little traffic. She had always enjoyed finding quiet places to sit quietly and think, even back as a little kid. She would need those quiet places now she had a lot to think about. All the changes and strange happenings. All the changes and her perceived shift in time left her reeling most of the time and unable to process things. She had laid awake in the middle of the night her first night, mind blank as she wondered what else changed.  
Often the thought crossed her mind to tell her ghost that she remembered things. But with so many unknowns she figured right now she would keep remembering her previous life to herself. Even if she read that ghosts worked for no one and were sapient beings born of The Traveler. They made their own choices and Flick chose her. Maybe later on she would tell Flick. But for now she wanted to process everything that happened to her.  
“Amelia?”  
She snapped out of her thoughts and looked to Flick. “Yeah?”  
“Did you hear what I said?”  
“Uh…”  
He gave a laugh. “In your own mind eh? Well, no need to worry. I will Re-mind you.” She gave him a look and he gave a proud chuckle at his joke. “Anyway, I pointed out Master Rahool. If you ever find any Golden Age loot out in the system such as Engrams he will open them up for you.”  
“Oh that’s nice.” She gave a smile, all the while wondering what an engram was. She would have to add that to the long mental list of things to learn.  
Then she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. A hunter and a titan, leaning on a railing, watching her. Then the titan leaned to his shorter friend and mumbled something. They must be wondering who she was. As she and her ghost continued on she saw another few guardians watching her. A few in groups and some alone. It was strange to have so many eyes on her. Amelia never liked a lot of attention but for now she’d pay it no mind. From what Ikora had told her she was the first new Warlock in 5 months to show up.  
After their exploration Amelia chose to head back home to do more reading and relax. She first went to the Ramen stand and picked up some gyoza, spring rolls and sushi to eat before taking it home and going back to her reading. This extra time allowed her to read all the way back to the start of The City Age before she decided it was best to head to bed now that it was midnight. After all she had to see Ikora tomorrow for more shooting lessons. 


End file.
